Spring-plank seat for car-trucks.



PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908. G. G. FLOYD.

SPRING PLANK SEAT FOR CAR TRUCKS.

APPLICA'IIQN FILED NOW. 1906.

2 SEEETS-SHEET l.

No. 877.495. PATENTBD JAN. 28, 1908.

G. G. FLOYD.

SPRING PLANE SEAT FOR CAR TRUCKS.

APPLICATION FILED LOYKZZ. 19-35.

2 SHEEISSHEET 2.

made from thesame pattern.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE G. FLOYD, OF GRANITE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES, OF NEW YORK, N.. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specifir ztion of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 28, 1908.

Application filed November 22.1906. sesame. 344.621.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, GnoR'cEG. FLOYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Granite, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Plank Seats for Car Trucks, of which the following is a specification;

My invention concerns improved means for securing'the ends of a spring plank in a railway car truck to the side frames in order to maintain the plank in proper position.

Heretofore it has been customary to use a channel spring plank and rivet its Web and upstanding flanges directly to the truck side frames, but difficulty has been encoun-- tered in riveting the flanges owing to the fact that the width of the opening in the side frame through which the spring plank projects varies in difi'erent castings although I intend to use a spring plank seat or saddle which straddles the side frame or at least overlaps a portion thereof whereby after the plank has been rivet ed or otherwise fastened to the two saddles or seats at opposite sides of the truck longitudinal shitting of the plank is prevented.

In one embodiment of my invention the seat or saddle has no ears or flanges to which to secure the flanges of the channel plank while in another embodiment the seat has such ears or ribs and is divided into two In t e accompanying drawings I have illustrated two desirable embodiments of my invention and on said drawings like reference characters refer to the same parts through out all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation ofa car.truck equipped with one style or form.

of my improved spring plank seats; Fig. 2

- is a vertical section through the truck on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the bolster being illus-' trated unscctioned; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of my new form of seat; 4 is an 6 IS a vertical section on line 6-6 of F ig. 5;.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the spring seat shown in Figs. 5 and 6: Fig. 8- is a plan similar to that of Fig. 7 showing the two parts of the seat separated, one of the parts eing also partially broken away; and Fig. 9 is an elevation of the right hard end of the left hand half of the spring sea-*- illustrated in Fig. 8. The car truckshown in Figs. 1 and 2 has the usual side frame 10, bolster 11, springs 12, bolster spring seat 13, and the channel spring plank 14 having the pair of upwardly extended parallel flanges 15. Instead of riveting or otherwise securing the web and flanges of spring plank 14 directly to the side frame I employ for each end of the spring plank a seat or saddle 16 having the flat top or *late portion 17 with longltudinal paralle spaced ribs 18 on its under surface. Bearing surfaceslQ are rovided at its ends on the inner surfaces 0 flanges of ribs 18, the latter being braced and held in place by a number of integral bracket ribs 20. Preferably the entire spring plank seat is cast in one piece and is provided between ribs 20 with holes or apertures 21 adapted to accommodate rivets 22 which fasten the web of the spring plank to the top surface of the seat or saddle. When the spring plank and its seat are in pro er'position in the cartruck ribs 18, their earin 'surfaces 19 overlap the op osite sides of t at portion of the side frame enea'th the s ring. plank, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. .Jon itudinal or endwise shifting of the spring p ank is prevented by the ribs 18 engaging b means of their bearing surfaces 19 with t e sides of the frame, as will be readily understood. The spring plank and its seats may be removed from the truck with facility by first takin out springs 12 and then lifting the s ring pIank so that the ribs 18 escape the sir e frame, and, when in this position, the spring tank and its seats mav be drawn throught e aperture of the side frame. Although I have shown my spring plank seat or saddle as having two r1bs 18 it will be readily understood that the spring plank can be maintained in position in the truck by a pair of such seats on oppoequipped with the ears 26 and 37 is a flange site sides of the "truck each having but a single rib which may lie adjacent to either the inner or the outer surface of the frame.

In Figs. 5 to 9, inclusive, 1' have illustrated a modified form of spring plank seat which is adapted to bcriveted not only to the web of the channel spring plank but also to its flanges. Since it is difficult if not well nigh impossible to cast a one-piece seat in which the upwardly projecting flanges or cars are spaced apart an amount to 0O[l0S)O1i(l exactly to the distance apart of the flanges of the spring plank, I have devised the forntof seat or support shown in this latter group of figures of the drawing, the seat being made of two parts which may be adjusted to provide the correct distance between the upstanding flanges. This seat or saddle is composed of the two arts 23 and 24 which are exactly alike anti for that reason may be cast from the same pattern. Each part. or section comprises a flat portion or base 25 having at one corner a depressed ear or lug .26 and at the other corner at the same end an car 27 i n substantially the same plane as the. plate port-ion25.

Along the under surface of each part of-the seat and integral therewith is a pair of ribs 28 and 29. These ribs are parallel, are spaced a art an amount a proXimat-elv equal to the t ickness of the si e frame of the truck, and have on their inner faces the bearing surfaces 30. To strengthen the structure and securely hold these ribs in place under working conditions rib 28 has a brace or bracket integral with the seat while the rib :29 has two such brackets 32? Rising from the end of each half of the seat opposite to the end 33 having a central ou twardly-bowed part 34 and apertured ends 35 adapted to be fastened tothe flanges 36 of a channel spring plank 37 by means of rivets 38. To assemble the two parts 23 and 24 to form a spring plank seat they are brought together so that the rounded ear 27 of each overlaps the similar depressed ear 26 of the other. .The two parts are then positioned so that the distance between the end portions 35 of flanges 33 will exactly equ the distance between the outer faces of flanges 36. When thus assembled holes 27 are drilled through ears 26 and 27 and the seat is then fastened to the end of the channel spxring plank by means of rivets 39 and 0 whic secure the seat to the web of the plank, and the rivets 40 each assing through the apertures 27*} of a pair 0 ears 26 and 27. As explained above other rivets 3S fasten the flanges 33 to the flanges of the spring plank.

When the plank and seat are in proper-position on the side frame of the truck, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the downwardly projecting ribs 28 and 29 overlap the inner and outer surfacesof the side frame thereby preventing lengthwise movement of the spring plank. I

To remove the plank and seats from the truck it is merely necessarv to raise the same so that they may be drawh through the central aperture of the frame without the rivets 2S and 29 interfering with the walls of the aperture. It should be ncted that the parts 34 lie adjacent to or against these vertical walls of the central aperture of the side frame, and that the parts 35 are offset inwardly suf ficiently so that the outer heads of the rivets 38 do not strike the sides or walls of the aperture when the plank and its seat is being withdrawn or inserted. This construction of seat permits the two parts 23 and 2-1 to be separated or brought together more or less closely when the seat -=nd flanges or ribs may be bro stpiarely against the outer faces of H hanks flanges l have illustrated aii-i .escribed this ,secoiid form of spring se=. as having two parallel flanges adapted to coliperatc with t ie two faces or surfaces of the side frame to maintain the spring plank in proper position and prevent lengthwise shifting thereof, but it will be readily understood that sinceonc of these seats is riveted to each end of the spring plank seats with only one depending rib would operate satisfactorily.

l. have described the details of the two forms of seats or saddles, but it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art and by the scope of the appended claims that my invention is not limited to the precise struc tnral details shown and that the seats may be varied in mechanical form to a considerable extent without d partu e from the substance of my invention.

I claim:

1. in a railway car illli'l the combination of a truck side frame, a spring plank, and a spring plank scat cot'ipcrating with said side frame, adapted to be fastened to said spring plank, and composed of two or more parts upon which said spring plank rests, substantially as describe 2. In a railway car truck, the combination of a truck side frame, a sprin plank, and a spring plank seat ada ted to be fastened to said spring plank an composed pf two or more parts upon which said spring plank rests, said spring plank sea-t having one or more ribs co-acting with said side frame to prevent displacement of said seat, substantially as described.

3. In a railway car truck, the combination of a truck side frame, a spring plank, and aspring plank seat upon which -said spr ng plank rests, said seat having one or more ribs co-acting with said side frame to prevent displacement of said seat, and also having one or more upstanding ribs or flanges, said spring plank being fastened to said seat and to said ribs or flanges, substantially described.

4. In a. railway car truck, the combination of a truck side frame, a channel spring plank, and a spring plank seat upon which the web of. said channel spring plank rests, said seat having one or more ribs @0- acting with said side frame to prevent displacement of said seat, and also having a pair of upstanding ribs or flanges,the flanges of said channel spring plank bein riveted to the upstanding ribs or flanges oi said seat, substantially as described.

5. A spring lank seat for use ina car truck compose of a plurality of parts each of which has a portion adapted to overlap a part of the other, substantially as described.

6. A spring, plank seatfor use in a car truck composed of a plurality of overlapping parts, substantially as described.

7. A spring lank seat for use in a car I truck com ose of a plurality of parts each of which as an upstanding rib or fiane, and an ear adapted to overlap an ear of t 1e other part, substantially as described.

-8. A spring lank seat for use in a car truck compose of a. pair of parts each of which has an upstanding rib or flange adapted to be riveted to a flange of a channel spring plank, and a pair of ribs adapted to straddle the side frame of the car truck, each -01 said parts also having an ear adapted to overlie a similar ear on the other part whereby the distance between said upstanding ribs or flanges may be made to correspond to the width of the spring plank without complete separation of the parts forming said spring plank seat, substantially as described.

9. A spring plank seat for use in a car truck having a fiat plate portion on which the web of a channel spring plank is adapted to rest, and having also a pair of upstanding ribs or flanges each of which has a part adapted to lie adjacent to or in contact with an upright wall of the aperture in the truck side frame in which the spring plank is' adapted to rest and, one or more parts offset with respect to said first mentioned part and adapted to be riveted to the adjacent flange of the channel spring plank, whereby said seat may extend substantially the full width of said aperture and be drawn through the same Without interference by the heads of the rivets fastening the spring plank flanges to the seat, substantially as described.

10. In a railway car truck, the combination of a truck side frame, a removable spring-plank, and a spring-plank seat fastened to and removable with said springplank and having one or more ribs adapted to co-act with a portion of said side-frame to preventlongitudinal shifting of said spring plank, substantially as described.

11. In a railway car-truck, the combination of a truck side frame, a removable spring-plank, and a spring-plank seat or saddle fastened to and removable with said spring-plank and having on its under surface a pair of spaced ribs overlapping a portion ot said side-frame and eo-actn'rg therewith to prevent lengthwise shifting of said 'springlank, substantially as descneed.

12. n a railway car truck, the combination of a truck side frame, a. removable.

spring-plank, and a two-part spring-plank seat or saddle fastened to and removable with said spring-plank and having on its under surface one or more ribs cooperating with said side-frame to prevent lengthwise shifting of said spring-plank, the parts of said seat or saddle being adjustable to the width of the spring-plank before being fastened thereto, substantiallv as described.

GEORGE G. FLOYD. YVitnesses:

H. H. \VrLLoUcnB'Y, G. E. Wm'rrnn. 

